Article by
Barbados Today

Published on
December 8, 2015

BEIJING –– Much of the Chinese capital was shut down today after Beijing’s city government issued its first red alert for pollution, closing schools and construction sites and restricting the number of cars on the road.

Beijing’s Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection warned that severe pollution would affect the Chinese capital for several days, starting this morning.

The pollution casting an apocalyptic glow over the pagodas on the streets of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia on November 29.

According to the US Embassy in Beijing, the air quality index stood at 250 this morning, classed as “very unhealthy” and ten times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended levels.

Gao Yuanli, 35, told CNN that the smog often made her life difficult.

She wears face masks on most winter days, and she bought an air purifier two years ago, she said.

“I can’t go out on weekends now if the air is bad, and I don’t go to outdoor markets any more,” she said.

The alert means extra measures will be enforced.

Car use is being cut in half by having only odd- or even-numbered licence plates on the road at any one time. Heavy vehicles, including garbage trucks, are banned from the streets.

Other polluting industrial activity has been curbed, as have fireworks and outdoor barbecuing.

The red alert –– the highest level in the system –– is due to be in force until noon Thursday local time.

The city’s roads and sidewalks were much quieter than usual today, and small-business owners like Jia Xiaojiang, who makes egg pancakes, complained of fewer customers.

“The smog is like toxic gas,” she said. “I never had a sore throat before. Starting from last year, my throat hurts once I speak.”

The red alert caused disruption for some parents, who had to scramble Monday evening to find alternative child care arrangements. Li Ning, a 33-year-old IT worker, said his child was being looked after by grandparents.

CNN reporters in Beijing said the pollution didn’t feel as severe as last week, when air quality, as measured by the US Embassy, went above 500 or “beyond index” yesterday and today.

Some residents have questioned why the unprecedented red alert level was not issued then. But others are resigned to living with pollution that is regularly ten times worse than recommended levels.

“I’d find a day when the sky is blue unusual,” said Wolf Hu.

He travels often for work, often preferring China’s high-speed rail network to flying, which is prone to smog-related delays –– 12 outbound flights and 14 inbound flights into the city were cancelled today.

According to the state-run news agency Xinhua, a red smog alert is issued only when heavy pollution is expected to last longer than 72 hours.

China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. It aims to cut is peak emissions in half by 2030.

Most of the country’s carbon emissions come from burning coal to heat homes and fuel power plants, a practice that spikes during winter months.